Blog

Cook County Board President introduces new efficiency and transparency initiatives

Originally published January 10, 2011–Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle took new steps today to increase transparency and accountability in her Administration, introducing the Make Cook County More Efficient program and an online public event calendar.

To help address both the short and long-term fiscal challenges, the county is turning to its greatest asset: the residents of Cook County. Residents now have the opportunity to send cost-saving and efficiency ideas via an online survey that can be found on the Cook County Web site, cookcountyil.gov

“Solving immediate budget crisis is just the first step. We want to implement innovative new ideas and policies that will make the county run more efficiently. We’re counting on the residents who interact with the county to help us to this through the Make Cook County More Efficient program. We have continually emphasized the importance of collaboration and that means working with the public to meet these challenges together,” Preckwinkle said.

The Office of the County Board President will also begin publishing the President’s public schedule online. The new addition to the county Web site represents another commitment to one of her office’s core guiding principles: transparency and accountability. It’s formatted as an easy to read Google calendar and will be updated on a regular basis.

“My commitment to making Cook County government more transparent and accountable to its residents is a central priority for my administration. Everyone should see that Cook County government is serving and working for you,” Preckwinkle said.

The new Office of the County Board President Public Calendar can also be viewed by visiting cookcountyil.gov.

Both projects were developed in collaboration with the new County Chief Information Officer Greg Wass. Wass formerly served as the CIO for the State of Illinois and was an early hire in President Preckwinkle’s administration.

“The goals set by President Preckwinkle are very clear. Making the public part of the legislative process is one of the best ways to increase transparency. This is an important first step. We will continue to use technology to build bridges between the public and our elected officials and we’re looking forward to hearing your ideas as we build a better Cook County,” Wass said.